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G. A. LITTLEFI'ELD.

HEDDLE FOR (moss WEAVING.

No. 363,072. Patented May 17, 1887.

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CHARLES A. LITTLEFIELD, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ELIAS A. TUTTLE AND JAMES T. MILNE, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

HEDDLE FOR CROSS WEAVING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,072, dated May 17, 1887.

Application filed March 1'], 1887. Serial No. 230,837. (No mo lel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs A. LITTLE- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fall River, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Heddles for Gross-Weaving; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists of a peculiar combi nation of metallic half-heddles, which is designed to serve the purposes for which doups are now employed in cross-weaving, and atthe same time be as effectivein operation and more durable.

In operating with my half-heddles it is necessary to have at least three heddle or harness frames of the pattern now in use for supporting the common form ,of wire-heddles well known to those skilled in the art of weaving. The ,middle frame is supplied with a speciallyshaped half-heddle or needle formed of properly twisted wire or stamped from any suitable sheet metal. When the needle or half-heddle is made of wire, the latter is twisted in such a manner as to form an eye at the top end, through which passes the warp thread or threads required to produce the desired effect-in the pattern woven. Below the twist which forms the eye the wires are separated in such a manner as to form a continuous slot or loop from near the eye to a point at or near the lower end, where the half-heddle is formed with an eye or loop adapted to receive the bar upon which the half-heddle is strung, only a single bar being used for the support of the saidhalf-heddle. Through the long slot or loop are passed other looped wires, forming half-heddles, there being two of this description to each one of the first named. These wires'are secured, one on the right the other on the left, to the two outside heddleframes at the top, being strung on the ordinary cross'bars of the said frames, the latter passing through suitably-sized loops at the top ends of the said looped wires.

To produce the desired pattern the thread which is to be twisted or crossed about its ad= j acent thread should be drawn through the eye at the top of the lower half-heddle, and the thread or threads about which it is to cross should be drawn in between the two upper loops or half-heddles and in line with the thread passing through the lower heddle-eye. WVhen the harnesses are in a state of rest, the warp-line is established so as tobring the yarn passing through the lower hoddle-eye to a position from which it can be drawn up at the forming of the shed upon the desired side of the-yarn about which it is to be turned or twisted. The crossing is effected by alternately operating the heddle-frames to which the upper half-heddle or looped wires are secured, the shed being formed by lifting the harness or shaft to the right or left of the frame to which the half-heddles or needles are secured at the bottom. The upper looped wire not lifted slides easily down the long slot or loop in the lower half-heddle, the latter and the upper halfheddle to which the liftingpower is applied being drawn into line, thus forming a guide fordefleeting the thread about which the crossing or tie is formed to the desired side of the needle or lower half-heddle.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art of weaving that by multiplying the number of harnesses I am able to produce any design or pattern that can be produced by the use of doups or similar appliances, at the same time havinga far more servioeableand efficient substitute. 7

I have illustrated my invention by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of portions of a set of heddle-frame bars with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view representing in vertical section the bars of the heddle-frame and showing the position of the yarns before the crossing takes place. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the half'heddles after the crossing takes place. Figs. 4 and 5 are front and side views, respectively, of a modified form of thelower half-heddle or needle.

Similar letters refer to like parts.

Upon the lowerbar, a, of the central heddleframe are strung the upright needles or halfharnesses D, which, in the form shown in Fig. 1, are made of ordinarysized heddlewire,

heddles or wire loops K and H, respectively,

which engage the long loop D of the vertical needle D. The half-heddles H and K are formed at their upper ends, as shown, with eyes or loops to receive the upper bars, eb, of the appropriateharness-frames. In the form of my devices represented in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the various loops or eyes in the 'half-heddles are all made by twisting the wires, as usual in the manufacture of wire heddles.

When it is desirable to weave with heddles like those described and shown, the threads m, or those which are to twist around the adjacent warp-threads n, are passed through the eye 01, and the movements of the harnessframe b and e alternately produce the crossing or the tie. The vertical needle or half-heddle D being always engaged with the two upper looped half-heddles K and H, whenever either of the latter is raised said needle or half-heddle D is lifted, with its warp-thread m, upon the proper side of the other warp-thread, n, to the proper height to form the shed, the inactive harness, with the halfheddles K or H, as the case may be, remaining stationary, and the half-heddle thus left inactive being guided in the loop of the vertical needle D, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

5, it being formed from sheet metal, provided with a central partition of solid metal, 8, and having slots 8 8, one to each side, constituting suitable guides for the depending connectinglinks or half-hedd1es K and H, and an opening, S, for the receptionof the bar of the harness-frame a.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the half-heddles K and H, of the half-heddle or needle D, having an opening, S, in the lower part to receive the heddle-bar and formed with a central partition, 8, slots ss, at each side of said partition, for receiving the half-heddles K and H, and an eye at the upper end for the reception of the yarn, all constructed, arranged, and operated as set forth.

2. The combination of the three half-heddles D, H, and K, the two upper outside halfheddles, K and H, each being'formed, as shown, with two separate loops, one for the reception of the heddle frame-bar, the other'being interlocked with the lower half heddle, D, and the said half-heddle D being formed with awarpeye, d, a single loop to receive a supportingbar, and an intermediate opening or openings to receive the loops of thehalf-heddles H and K, all arranged and constructed as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. LITTLEFIELD.

- Witnesses:

JAMES T. 1\/IILNE,. -E. A. TUTTLE. 

